Deserted
by Crimson Taint
Summary: Emma lost her mother at birth, her father when she was 12 and recently her grandparents from a weird storm, leaving her with no living relatives and the whole family fortune under her name. What she doesn't know is that she's about to inherit an old family secret that she now has to uncover. Will her new friends at Spencer be able to help her?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note**

Hey guys! This story has been stuck in my head since I first saw the covenant and I've recently gotten the motivation to finally start writing it.

This is the first story I'm posting, EVER and I'm feeling really nervous and scared but I figure that my writing won't get any better unless I get some feed back. So I hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!

- CT

* * *

**Three months ago**

Emma stood over the main deck's balcony watching the waves reflect the glimmering light of the moon and listening to the soft flow of the water against the yacht. It had been a warm summer night and her Grandparents had no issues with falling asleep after drinking a little too many bottles of wine. Emma on the other hand could not shake the feeling of uneasiness at the pit of her stomach and after hours of wrestling under her sheets, she figured some fresh air might be able to cure her sleeplessness.

That was when she felt it. The same eerie feeling she got the day that her father died, as if a surge of energy zapped through her veins and she just knew that she was in danger. Suddenly she felt a cold gust of wind brush against her bare arms and at the corner of her eye, she spots a thick fog moving unnaturally fast towards the boat. Terrified and confused she quickly rushed to her grandparent's cabin to warn them.

"Nana! Grandpa! Wake up!" She said as she frantically nudged them until they snapped out of their dreams. "Please nana! Get up!"

"What is it, dear?" Her grandmother asked in a groggy voice.

"Look outside!" Emma said pointing towards the window of their cabin where the fog was now only a few meters away. The two looked to where she pointed and the expression of worry and fear in their faces confirmed all of her concerns.

Her grandmother got up and wrapped a blanket over Emma while her grandfather moved towards the window trying to get a better view. He noticed that the waves were getting stronger as each one passed. He looked to his wife has his granddaughter with a blank face.

"Go down to the lower deck and put on the life vests then wake the crew, I'll get this boat started." He ordered.

Emma simply nodded as she guided her grandmother down the stairs. The boat was now swaying back and forth due to the push of each wave, making it harder to keep their balance. Once they made it down, Emma sat her grandmother down and hurriedly pulled the life vests out of the storage closet. Trying hard to stay upright, she helped her grandmother strap her life vest on before strapping up herself.

"Nana, I'll go wake the crew up. Just stay here" Emma said to her grandma who tried her best to show nothing but calmness.

Staggering down the hallway, she banged on each door, trying to make as much noise as she could. The yacht was now swaying violently making it extremely difficult for her to keep her feet planted and she found it odd that none of the crew have yet been woken by it. Holding on to the door frame, she yanked the captain's door open to find a still, pale body lying on the ground. Pushing herself into the room, she knelt down over the body and placed her two fingers on his neck, right under his jaw line, trying to feel for a pulse and just as she suspected, there was none. That was when she noticed the thick fog creeping into the room from the hallway. Panicked and confused, she quickly checked the other rooms only to find the rest of the crew in the same state as the captain. Not knowing what to do with the situation, she found her way through the fog to return to where she had left her grandmother. To her relief, her grandmother was still sitting on the bench, holding on to the railings as each wave pummeled the boat.

"Nana!" Emma cried out.

"Where's the crew?" Her grandmother asked. Emma simply shook her head, trying to find the words to explain what she had just witnessed.

"They- they're dead." She said just above a whisper. "I got there and they were laying on the floor, all of them. And the fog, it doesn't make any sense! What's happening nana?"

"Listen, everything will be alright, just calm down. We need to get to your grandfather." Her grandmother held Emma by the arm and urged her to get up to the second deck where her grandfather was. The two of them struggled to get up to the main deck and once they got there, it didn't get any easier. The winds have picked up and had brought a storm along with it making the stairs leading up to the second deck as easy to climb as Mount Everest.

"Odette! Emma!" The familiar voice of Emma's grandfather echoed through the storm and fog.

"Grandpa! We're here! By the stairs!" Emma yelled back.

"Hang on! I'll come to you!"

Emma gripped on the railings of the yacht making sure that she had good enough leverage to keep her grandmother from falling over. Then Emma felt a strong hand grab her arms and pull her over. It was her grandfather.

"Emma! I'm glad you're safe. Odette!" He moved towards his wife and hugged her tightly.

"Grandpa! The crew! They're all dead!" Emma cried, unable to hold back her tears.

"I figured as much. Come on, you have to get to the life rafts. We need to get off this yacht!" He said as he pointed towards the back of the ship. Emma tried taking a few steps forwards, still holding on to her grandmother but the winds waves have become so strong that it felt as though each pass, the yacht was completely tipped to its sides.

"I have to stabilize the boat! You two need to go ahead. I'll be right behind you!" Her grandfather ordered.

"No! I'm not going to leave you!"

"We don't have a choice! Go!"

"But grandpa."

"Emma, I won't say it again, go!" He said sternly.

Reluctantly she nodded but before she made her way to the rafts, she hugged him tightly.

"I love you Gramps. Please be careful." Emma said with tears streaming down her face.

"I love you too, dear. Promise me you'll listen to whatever grandma says."

Emma simply nodded in her grandfather's arms.

"Promise me." He said wanting to hear her say it.

"I promise." And with that he let her out of his arms and turned to make his way back up to the control room.

Grabbing on to whatever she can get her hands on, Emma mustered up all her energy to get a good footing but the constant swinging and the force of the wind have drained her strength and was begging to feel light headed. It took everything she had to continue to tread through the yacht but she was finally able to get herself and her grandmother to the life rafts. Using her last bit of energy she grabbed the life raft and pulled the pin that allowed inflating, but her vision was fading quickly. No longer able to hold herself up, Emma collapsed to the ground as the world around her became a blur. She felt something grab her by the arms and tie something around her wrist before everything went black.

* * *

**Present day**

It was the first day back from a summer vacation of booze, partying and sex for many of the rich and privileged students that attended Spencer Academy. It was safe to say that most of them were dreading their return to old school uniforms, homework and the stress of keeping their grades up so that their high society parents don't deny them of their trust funds. The Sons of Ipswich were no exception.

Caleb Danvers arrived at the school with his best friend Pogue Parry. Pogue had agreed to pick him up that morning after losing to Caleb over a Foosball match they had at Nicky's a few nights ago. The two spotted Reid Garwin, the hotheaded trouble maker of the four, already at the front steps of the main building having a conversation with Kate and Sarah, Kate's new roommate.

"Garwin!" Caleb called out as he and Pogue made their way to the others. He flashed Sarah a smile and turned back to Reid.

"Kate," Pogue address his girlfriend as he went in to give her a hug.

"Hey Babe. I hope you guys got away okay last night." Kate said referring to the kick-off party they had attended the night before at the Dells. Unfortunately their celebrations were cut short due to complaint by a nearby resident and when the cops showed up, everyone was forced to flee before the night was over.

"Don't worry Kate, I got your boy out just in time." Reid said, clearly trying to impress Sarah. "Caleb on the other hand wanted us to pull over." Caleb just simply brushed off Reid's comment.

"Where's Tyler?" Caleb asked when he noticed the youngest member of their group was yet to be seen.

"Who knows? Probably polishing his car." Reid joked.

Not a moment later, they spot Tyler walking towards the main building with his backpack slung across one shoulder and all his attention focused on the piece of paper in his hand that looked to be his class schedule.

"Yo, baby boy! Over here!" Caleb called out to him. Just as Tyler looked up to see who had called his name, he bumped into something causing him to fall back. Tyler looked to see what he hit only to find a girl with silky, chestnut brown hair, and bright aquamarine eyes looking straight at him.

"Ow" The girl said as she slowly pulled herself up off the ground and began picking up her books. Tyler noticed that he hasn't seen her before. He examined her for a moment until she glanced over to him and gave him a confused look. That was when he realized he was still lying on the ground, staring at her.

"Did you hurt something?" She asked, wondering if the fall had injured him in some way.

"Oh, um, no. I'm fine. You just caught me of guard." Tyler replied, snapping out of his daze. "Here, let me help you with that." He quickly helped pick up most her books and random school supplies scattered all over the floor.

"Thanks." The girl said looking at him with a slight smile.

"No problem. I should have looked where I was going." Tyler said as he handed her books to her.

"I guess I could have been more careful too. Thanks again." She said as she gathered the rest of her things and brushed her skirt strait. Tyler was about to ask for her name but she had taken off before he could do so. Instead, he simply watched as she hurriedly made her way into the main building, unable to stop himself from admiring her curvy features and her long slender legs as she dodged through the crowd of students.

Tyler felt a strong hand on his shoulder, breaking his train of thoughts. It was Pogue and the rest of the gang. He then started to feel his face flush a bit when he realized that they must have witnessed him getting knocked over by a girl.

"Are you okay, bro?" Pogue asked.

"I think I'll survive." Tyler replied.

"Who was that?" Reid said, focusing his gaze on the girl.

"I have no idea." There was a bit of disappointment in Tyler's eyes. "Must be a new girl. I've never seen her before."

"She is. Just transferred in last minute." Kate said. "That's Emma Hawthorne. She just checked in last night. Her dorm is just down our floor."

"Hawthorne? As in _the_ Hawthorne?" Tyler asked.

Kate nodded to him. "That's the one." A look of pity fell on all the boys faces while Sarah looked at them a little confused.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note:**

Hey guys! Sorry it took me almost three weeks to post the next chapter but the past few weeks have been spent studying for final exams and I was having problems posting this chapter due to some weird site error but now that it's officially summer for me and my uploading seems to be working fine now, I will do my best to post a chapter every Monday.

This is probably going to be a bit boring compared to the first chapter but I feel as though it is necessary. I need to explain Emma's background a bit. To be honest, I haven't completely planned this story out so I have no idea where I'm going with it but I do have a rough Idea where I'm headed. Hopefully I don't screw this up! Thank you so much for reading!

-CT

* * *

Emma woke up to the bright rays of sunlight peering through the gap between her window curtains. She had just finished her first week of classes and had just started to feel as though she was finally getting the hang of things. Being home schooled most of her life didn't really set her up for success when it came to arriving in class on time. She had showed up late 4 out of her 5 days in school and had been scrambling every morning to make it to her first period before the class started. Even when her bubbly blonde roommate offered to wake her, there was always something she had forgotten. Sometimes it was her books, other times she'd just get lost, and there where even times when she just slept through her alarm after staying up late playing Halo on her Xbox. Yet even with her tardiness and always being ill prepared, it seemed as though her instructors were a bit more lenient with her than the rest of her classmates. Unfortunately, some of the other students have noticed, bringing her more unwanted attention than she already had.

With her family being so well known, especially in Ipswich, the mysterious boating accident was the summer topic for half of Massachusetts. Since Emma was the only survivor, it made her the only person who can clear up the true events of that tragic day. Reporters and investigators had brought in a stream of endless questions that Emma just didn't have the answers to. Her memories of that night had become so mumbled and when she was finally able to bring herself to open up about what she remembers none of it made sense to anyone. When her psychiatrist diagnosed her with post-traumatic stress disorder, they stopped asking her questions and simply stated that there was a malfunction in the yacht's control causing them to be trapped in the middle of the storm.

All week, Emma suffered through sympathetic stares from her classmates as well as most of her instructors which ruined her hopes of staying anonymous. She had kept to herself throughout the week and spent most of her free time in t her dorm completing assignments and playing video games, wanting to avoid hearing all the whispers and people looking at her as if she was some lost abandoned dog. However, she was thankful that her roommate seemed to understand her need for a bit of space and alone time. As much as Emma would have loved to have a single room all to herself, she was thankful that she got Amy.

Amy was a ray of sunshine that never seemed to stop shining. She was cheerful, energetic and carefree, though at times she would let her curious nature to slip and start asking questions that were a little more personal than Emma would like to discuss but she would always catch herself and change the subject. The one thing Emma appreciated most about her roommate was the fact that she was just as OCD about organization and cleanliness as she was. Walking into their dorm was like walking into a hotel room with the sheets newly washed, beds perfectly made and everything was well stocked and neatly put in place. The two of them got a long really well and at times enjoyed each other's company but Emma still kept her distance. This was her senior year and she may never see any of her classmates after graduation so she felt that getting attached would only bring her inconvenience later on.

Emma turned herself over to avoid the sun's bright rays as she glanced to the empty, neatly made bed beside her and realized that her roommate had left already. Yawning a bit, she grabbed her phone from her night stand and looked at the time. Her phone read "8:32"

"Oh shit!" Emma exclaimed. She had just remembered that she had a meeting with her caretaker in less than a half hour. Hurriedly jumping out of bed, she quickly freshened herself up and got dressed then bolted out the front door. She rushed through the parking lot towards her modest Nissan versa that stood out like a sore thumb next to all the luxury cars that filled the lot. Emma fiddled in her purse to feel for her car keys but after checking each pocket 3 times over and finding nothing, she began to feel panicked.

"Shit, shit, shit! Joan is going to kill me for sure." Emma muttered after practically dumping the contents of her purse on the hood of her car.

She looked down at the floor around her, hoping that she had just accidentally dropped but she found nothing. She sighed in defeat, knowing that she was definitely going to be late now that she had to make her way back up 2 flights of stairs to her dorm.

"Excuse me!" She heard a voice call out from behind her. She turned to see the same boy she had bumped into on the first day of school. He was out of the school uniform she had been so used to seeing him in and was wearing a plain white shirt and black sweat pants. By the look of his wind swept hair and small beads of sweat on his forehead, Emma assumed he had been running.

"Hey, uh, I think you dropped this." he said holding out her car keys attached to a Halo key chain. A sudden feeling of relief flooded Emma as she held out her hand to receive the keys.

"Thank you!" she said flashing him a smile. "I would have been hooped without these."

"Glad I could help" He smiled back at her, looking genuinely happy he was able to help. Emma then gathered all items that she had just laid out on the hood of her car and shoved them in her purse. Without even thinking she unlocked her car and opened the front door. Just as she was about to get in, she realized the boy was still there. He was looking at her the same way he looked at her the first time they met.

"Um," Emma said a bit nervously. "My name is Emma by the way." She held out her hand to him.

"Tyler." He said grabbing her hand and shaking it. "It's nice to meet you, Emma"

"It's nice to finally meet you too, but I'm going to have to cut this short." Her words seemed to have disappointed the boy which made her feel a bit guilty. "I'm so sorry. I'm just really late for a meeting."

"No problem." He said with a soft smile. "I'll just see you around, Emma"

"You know what, I owe you. I promise I'll make it up to you somehow." She said feeling terrible for having to run off on him for the second time.

"Don't worry about it, go catch your meeting"

And with that, she jumped into her car, backed away from her parking spot and headed off to the mocha house cafe where her caretaker had agreed to meet with her. Joan has been working for her family for as long as she could remember. She was Emma's nanny and her tutor for the first couple of years but to Emma, she was the closest thing to a mother she has ever had. Now that her grandparents were gone and no living relative to take care of her, there was a dispute over who was to be her guardian. It was Emma's wishes that Joan be her guardian but with no relative ties, the courts couldn't allow it, especially with the whole Hawthorne fortune put under Emma's name. Luckily they were able to win their plea for emancipation, allowing Emma to be responsible for herself. Today they were signing the last bit of paperwork to finalize a few untied business ventures that her grandparents dove into before their death.

A huge part of her was relieved this whole dispute over her inheritance was almost over and though the legal matters have gone considerably smooth, a part of her wished that there were still more things to dispute. Now that it was almost over, she didn't have anything to keep her mind off her loss. The past couple of months have been so busy with settling her inheritance, finding a boarding school that would accept her after the registrations have closed, and moving to Ipswich. Not a single day went by where she didn't have something to do or somewhere to be and it was a nice distraction from the fact that she was now all alone. All her life she had been home schooled because her father traveled a lot, always doing research from all over the world. She couldn't quite remember what he was researching but he refused to leave his daughter behind and Emma had no objections. She loved seeing new places and spending time with her father. Unfortunately, that left no time to make real friends and now that her family's gone, Emma couldn't help but feel disconnected from the rest of her peers.

She was kind of looking forward to seeing Joan today. It had been a whole week since she saw her last and it had been the longest time they've spent apart since the death of her grandparents. Since Emma's mother died giving birth to her, Joan was the closest thing to a mother Emma has ever had. When she was younger, she would tell people that she was her mom but people never really bought it. Emma didn't get any of her looks from her father and she was quite a big contrast to Joan. Joan had sandy blonde hair, deep brown eyes, and a tall 5'10 figure that towered over Emma, who was at the average height of 5'5. She was also too young to have had Emma, only being 9 years her senior and though she was already 28, she still looked like she was in her early 20's. Thought they looked different from each other, Joan was a huge influence in Emma's life growing up and a lot of her values have now become Emma's as well.

Emma pushed those thoughts out of her mind as the cafe appeared in her sights. She spotted Joan's blue 1992 Mazda mx3 sitting in the parking lot. That was Joan's baby. It was the first car that she had ever bought and till this day she have never wanted to let it go, even with all the problems it has given her. Joan has always seen it as a sign of her hard work and could not bring herself to get it replaced. She had always been a simple woman, never wanting more than what she needed and had no problem bringing Emma back down to earth when she would feel a little to entitled and acted like brat. Though she hated it growing up, Emma eventually became thankful for her guidance because her Father was never able to have the heart to say no to his only child.

Spotting a free space, she parked her car and made her way into the coffee shop. Joan was sitting on a window side table by herself with a stack of papers sprawled to every corner of the table and a half empty coffee cup in her hand. Glancing quickly at her watch, she realized she was 5 minutes late. Bracing herself to be disciplined by her not so old nanny, she pulled up the chair in front of her and sat down.

"I hope that you don't take your classes as seriously as you take these meetings." Joan said to her.

"Sorry, I forgot to set my alarm clock." Emma replied putting on her sad puppy dog face, hoping it would lighten up Joan's mood.

"You know that face stopped working on me when you were 11." Joan replied, unable to help but smile at Emma's attempts.

"It got you to stop frowning, didn't it?" Emma smirked.

"Alright, alright. I'll let it go this time but if I see that you're late to any of your classes, be prepared to hear it from me." Emma blushed a bit, remembering how she was late for most of her first period classes. Knowing that she would never hear the end of it, she simply ignored the comment and picked up one of the documents that Joan had laid out on the table and examined it.

"So I have to sign all of these?" Looking at all the papers, she realized it would take probably most of that morning to go through.

"No. Just these three." Joan handed her the documents. "All this other stuff, we've already settled, I just wanted to make sure you had a copy of all the documents for yourself, in case you wanted to look through them again."

Emma began going through the three documents she needed to sign, making sure there was nothing in there she disagreed with then handed them back to Joan. "So is this it?"

"Yeah. You're all done. At least for now." Joan grabbed all the papers and put into a large brown envelope and sealed it. "I just need to drop this off to Bryan's office later and that would be the end of it."

"So you made me come here early in the morning on a Saturday just to write my name 3 times?" Emma said a bit irritated.

"More or less." Joan gave her an evil grin.

"Urgh! I almost ran over three pedestrians this morning!" Emma said a little frustrated at her care taker.

"I needed to get this stuff out of the way in the morning because I have a lunch date and I know you, Em. If I had told you Bryan wasn't going to be here, you would have been late by 3 hours."

"A lunch date?" Emma raised an eye brow. Joan was always going on dates but she never settled for any of them. She's had a hand full of good guys that seemed to be her perfect match but she would always find a reason to break it off.

"Yes. But that doesn't matter, I don't even think I asked about how your first week went." Joan said obviously trying to change the subject.

"It went well. The classes are interesting. I have a room all to myself instead of having to share with strangers, so that's really nice."

"Have you met any new people?"

"Yeah, my Teachers have been great, and very-"

"I don't mean your teachers. Have you made any new friends?" Joan interrupted.

"Nope, I've been doing a pretty good job at avoiding people in my class." Emma said proudly. Truth was, she had no interest in making new friends. She'd been completely content with being home schooled and having herself to keep her company so she found no need to make new friends.

"You need to make some friends, Em. That's the best part about going to school." Joan reasoned with her. Emma just disregarded her comment and fiddled with the clasp on her watch. "I'm serious, Em. I don't think your grandparents would have wanted you to isolate yourself from your classmates."

Emma sighed at the fact that her nanny just pulled the grandparents card. She had to admit that Joan was right. They would have wanted her to socialize and meet new people. It wasn't something he was used to doing but when it came to her grandparents, she would do just about anything.

"Fine." Emma agreed. "I guess I could stop running away from people."

"That's what I like to hear." Joan said. "Oh! I almost forgot. I was told not to give this to you until today." She reached into the bag beside her and pulled out a polished wooden box the size of a shoe box. "Your grand parents wanted you to have this."

"What is it?" Emma ran her finger over the metal plate on the lid of the box with her name engraved on it.

"I don't know. I was told it was your mothers." Joan answered. "And Emma, happy 17th birthday."


	3. Chapter 3

"Here you are Miss Hawthorne." The pharmacist said has he handed her a white paper bag filled with prescribed medication. Emma smiled at the man before taking the bag.

"Thank you. I'll see you next week." Emma replied. She turned towards the door but her view was obstructed by a tall, tan skinned boy with a familiar face. He looked a little troubled, fiddling with his phone and scanning the room as if something was about to jump out at him any second. Next to him stood a girl with long black hair and dark skin that she had seen walking down her dorm hallways from time to time.

"Excuse me." Emma said shyly with her head down.

"Hey, don't you go to Spencer?" The girl said in a cheerful tone.

"Yeah. I just transferred." Emma replied.

"I'm Kate. I think you live on my floor." She said smiling. "This is Caleb. He goes to school with us too."

"I'm Emma." Emma smiled back. Caleb nodded at her but his attention was redirected when a blonde haired girl turned the corner.

"Hey." She said looking at Caleb before she addressed the rest of us. The boy's face lit up and greeted her back. It was as if he had completely forgotten what had been bothering him at the sight of her.

"Sarah, this is Emma. She lives on our floor." Kate said to Sarah. Emma smiled and held her hand out to the blonde girl.

"Nice to meet you Emma. How are you liking Spencer?" Sarah said as she shook Emma's hand.

"It's different, I feel like I'm still getting used to everything." Emma replied.

"Boo!" A boy's voice came from behind Emma. She looked to the left to see another one of her classmates jump out from behind a sunglass rack. He had wavy dirty blonde hair and a certain look in his eyes that made Emma feel a little uneasy.

"Chase! You scared me!" Kate exclaimed with a giggle. He then looked over to Emma.

"And who's this?" The dirty blonde boy said.

"Emma."

"Chase." He said before looking down at the bag in her hand. "Are you not feeling well?" There was a slight hint of concern in his voice that Emma assumed to be an act.

"Oh, these? They're supposed to help me be less crazy. I don't think its working" Emma joked at her bag of antidepressants. Her psychiatrist prescribed them to her but she stopped taking it weeks ago but she still picked up her weekly dosage so that Joan wouldn't find out that she was disobeying her doctor's orders. The others chucked at her remark and Emma couldn't help but smile too.

"I like you, you're funny." Kate said. "Hey, there's a new Brad Pitt movie out this week, who wants to come?" She said pulling her phone out.

"I'll go." Chase said clearly trying not to look to eager.

"Sweet, Caleb?"

"I have to go run some errands for my mother." Caleb answered. Kate then turned her focus to her blonde roommate.

"I've already seen it." She replied giving Kate a look which she returned with a sly grin.

"Do you want to go run some errands with me?" Caleb turned to Sarah.

"Sure." She said sweetly.

"What about you, Emma? Down for a movie?" Kate asked her. Just as Emma was about to decline, the earlier conversation she had with her nanny jumped into her mind. She knew that her grandparents would have wanted her to go and make friends and there was nothing more she wanted to than make her grans proud.

"Um, sure. I've got nothing better to do." Emma said against her better judgment.

And with that they all paid for their groceries and split into two groups. Sarah went with Caleb to god knows where while Emma drove Kate and Chase to the movies. For most of the drive, Kate and Chase have been subtly flirting with each other while Emma sat and listened to their conversation. Once in a while Kate would ask her questions about how she liked Spencer and whether it was better than being home schooled but once Chase cut into the conversation, it was like all Kate's focus when to him. As friendly as he was, Emma couldn't help but feel a little edgy around him. But there was something more than that. It was as though she felt connected to him somehow, and it wasn't just with him either. She felt the same kind of connection with Caleb and Tyler. With all the pain and tragedy she's gone through, her instincts have never let her down and at that moment, it was telling her that not everything is as it seems, especially with Chase. It's just a matter of figuring out whether it's a good or a bad thing.

Emma, Kate and Chase arrived to a fairly empty movie theatre. It had been a warm sunny day and many of the people in Ipswich were at the beach wanting to make the most of the summer weather before the cold swept in. Chase had been quite the gentleman and paid for both of the girl's tickets before going to choose their seats. Kate insisted that Emma pick the seats, trying to get her more involved, noticing that she'd been fairly quiet the whole way there. Taking note of her attempt at getting her to feel more included, Emma chose the middle seats at the very top row. It was where her dad liked to sit when he used to take her to the movies and in turn, it became her favorite seats too.

Sitting in the theatre in that very spot brought a sense of familiarity to Emma that she wasn't quite expecting. She began remembering the time that her dad would take her to the movies. For weeks she had begged him to take her to see Saving Private Ryan but her father was very reluctant, thinking it was too mature for his little girl to watch but Emma was persistent. She loved historical movies, especially war films and her father knew that her love for such things were due to his influence so he eventually caved in. She remembered feeling so nervous during certain scenes that her nails dug into the arm rest leaving a deep imprint. A smile crept on to her face as the memory of her younger self asking endless questions during the movie popped into her mind. Even through it must have bothered her dad to answer during intense scenes, he always replied with a calm smile on his face. A flood of grief and sadness hit Emma like a tidal wave when she was reminded of how he would always smile proudly at her. It was a sight that she would never be able to see again and that killed her.

Fighting the tears that were welling in her eyes, she looked around the theatre to find some sort of distraction. She glanced over to Kate and Chase who seem to be in their own world while she sat there feeling nothing but emptiness. Emma tried to focus on the pre-movie trivia that was playing on the screen but she was unable to stop herself from bringing back the old memories of her father into her mind. Gripping tightly on to the arm chair she tried her best to just breathe but the crippling feeling in her chest was begging too become unbearable. She then felt 4 indents under her fingers and as a reflex she tried to line up her four fingers on each groove. It was much smaller than her hands but it was as if something clicked in her mind that allowed her to recall that memory a lot clearer. It had been that exact theatre, in that exact seat where she sat next to her father all those years ago.

She recalled the way he would wrap his arms around her shoulder to comfort her whenever she felt scared and all the small remarks he would make about the inaccuracy of certain details of the movie. It wasn't long before Emma found her thoughts wandering to that dreadful night, the night she lost her hero, the one person that Emma cared most for in the entire world. It was her 12th birthday party and just as they were bringing out her cake, he got a phone call that seemed to have been urgent. Before Emma could even blow out her candles, her father had gone to tend to something seemingly important. She waited for hours for him to come back until she was no longer able to stay awake. But he never came back. The next morning she woke up to a room filled with distraught faces and she just knew in her gut that something bad had happened to her father. They told her that he had lost control of his car while speeding and was killed instantly. No one told her where he was or what he was doing but at the time Emma didn't care. All she knew was that her father was gone and how guilty she felt that she had wished for a stupid video game instead of her father's safety.

Fearful that she might not be able to hold herself together, Emma took a deep breath, hoping that her voice won't fail her. "I'll be right back. I need to use the ladies room." Emma said as calmly as she could, finding comfort in the darkness of the theatre which hid the hot tears that were now strolling down her cheeks.

"Don't take too long. The movie's about to start" Kate smiled at her then turned back to Chase.

Walking as fast as she could she made her way to the bath room, avoiding making eye contact with anyone that passed her by. Relieved that the women's room was empty, Emma headed straight to the sink and turned on the tap. With her hands, she splashed some cold water on her face, allowing her tears fall freely and with it came all the pain she had been trying so hard to suppress. Her sobs were softly muffled by the sound of running water echoing through the bathroom walls. Taking deep breaths in an effort to calm herself down, she felt the pressure on her chest slowly fade away.

"Pull you self together, Em" Emma said to herself. She stared at her reflection and realized that her eyes were still slightly flushed but it was faint enough to go unnoticed under the darkness of the theatre. Doing her best to refrain from thinking of the past she was able to gain control over her emotions as she wiped the excess water from her face.

Just as Emma reached for a paper towel, she felt a cold chill graze her light followed by a light breeze. Feeling a little uneasy, Emma glanced back at her reflection and noticed the lights in the bathroom began to violently flicker. She had a weird sensation that someone was in the bathroom with her.

"Hello?" Emma called, feeling on edge as her voice echoed through the room. She waited for someone to replay but no luck. Closing her eyes she tried to convince herself that she was just imagining things and that it must be her PTSD acting up again. Then she felt a soft, cold pressure on her shoulders almost as if someone's hands were on them. She looked over to her left but noting was there and then she saw it, in the corner of her eye. The mirror showed her reflection and a woman standing behind her. Frozen with fear, couldn't do anything but stare at the image in the mirror. The woman had an uncanny resemblance to Emma, almost as if she was seeing doubles but the woman was dressed like the 16th century colonist. Her clothes were all torn and covered in filth while her hair was frayed almost as though she had been running against the wind. Though what puzzled Emma the most was the worried look in her eyes, almost as if to warn her.

"Emma." The woman said in a high whisper. "You need to help him. He needs you just as much as you need him."

Emma wanted so badly to speak but her voice felt heavy and as hard as she tried, not even a whimper was able to escape her lips.

"Be careful, Emma." The woman repeated.

Suddenly the sound of the door opening filled the room and in an instant the apparition that was reflected on the mirror disappeared. One of the movie theatre staff walked into the bathroom hauling a cleaning trolley. Emma relaxed a little and found herself no longer constricted to her spot. Confused and scared, Emma bolted out of the bathroom unable to make sense of what just happened. In her rush to get as far away as she could, she turned and ran into Chase, almost knocking her off balance. Luckily Chase had fast reflexes and was able to catch her before she fell.

"Whoa, there." Chase said, a bit startled by the sudden interaction. He then noticed the slight panic in Emma's face. "Hey, are you okay?" He said in a worried tone.

"Y-yeah. I'm okay." Emma stammered.

"What's wrong? You look like you've just seen a ghost." Chase looked at her with genuine concern.

"I thought I saw-." Emma stopped herself, realizing how crazy she might sound. "I think my PTSD is kicking in again." It was the only reasonable explanation that Emma could find for what she had just experienced. "I have to start taking those damn pills again" She said to herself as Chase pretended not to hear her.

"Okay, let's go get you some water. I was just on my way to grab some popcorn." He placed a protective arm over Emma's shoulders as he lead her towards the concession line up. She didn't expect to feel so safe standing next to him. He looked to be sincere in his efforts to comfort her, making Emma feel a little guilty about her earlier judgment. Perhaps Chase wasn't all that bad.

Chase insisted on getting her water and paying for her popcorn to which Emma reluctantly agreed to. Though she had to admit that he did a pretty good job keeping her mind off of what just happened by bring up his complaints about some their teachers that Emma found to be quite funny. The rest of the movie had gone smoothly and before she knew it, the movie was over and she had actually enjoyed herself.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Sorry this was a day late but yesterday kinda got a bit busy but better late than never. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please let me know what you guys think! I'd love to hear you guy's input on the story weather it's predictions, criticism, or advice!

See you next week.

-CT


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note:**

I'm a day late on posting this one but I realized that the past 3 chapters (including this one) have all taken place over the span of a day and I really wanted to just finish it off with this chapter. Unfortunately, a lot of things needed to happen so I had to break this chapter in half because it was just too long but either way, I hope you guys enjoy.

-CT

PS: Tyler Simms!

* * *

Tyler carefully aimed his pool stick at the white q ball hoping to get the perfect angle to make his shot. In one smooth controlled motion, he shot the q ball in perfect geometry allowing him to force the ball in the middle left pocket. He felt a hint of relief as the shot slipped in. His best friend, Reid Garwin, slammed his fist at the edge of the billiard table in frustration, knowing that he was one good shot away from losing. But just as his hope in winning was lost, he spotted something that might just save his game.

"Hey, Tyler. Look who Kate just walked in with." Reid said with a slight grin on his face.

Tyler turned his attention away from his target and looked to the direction Reid was pointing. He realized that Kate had joined Sarah and Caleb's table along with two others. Chase was sitting on Kate's left, entertaining the table with some humorous anecdote, but what surprised him the most was the brown haired girl sitting opposite to Kate. Tyler couldn't help but stare at her as a smile crept on her face while Chase told his story. She was wearing a white cardigan over a black tube dress that hugged her waist line and stopped a few inches above her knee. Tyler couldn't help but notice how well her dress accented her soft curves and her slender legs.

"Leave it to Kate to bring the two hottest transfers into our little group." Reid said, smacking Tyler on the back, snapping him out of his train of thought. "That Hawthorne girl sure cleans up nicely." Reid added as Tyler watched his gaze from her head down to her toe.

"Whatever man." Tyler replied, feeling a little annoyed with what Reid was insinuating.

"Awe, come on now. Don't be mad cause I've got more game." Reid grinned. "Just take your shot, baby boy."

Tyler turned his attention back to the pool table and carefully aimed his cue at the shiny white ball. Taking a deep breath, Tyler pushed his frustration as side and focused on his shot. There was no way he was going to let Reid win. Not in this game, and not with Emma. In one swift move, he hit the cue ball with the perfect angle and just the right amount of force to cause the yellow 9 ball to sink strait I to the far corner pocket. Feeling proud of his shot, he gave Reid a sly look.

"Lucky shot." Reid stated, looking a little miffed that his best friend was able to get a game in on him. He then saw Pogue making his way towards the two with a big smile on his face. "Well, well, well. Look who we have here." Reid greeted Pogue with their handshake before Pogue turned to Tyler and greeted him in the same manner.

"What's up?" Pogue said.

"Nothing man. Just finished a game. About to hustle Aaron and the boys." Reid said putting his arms around Pogue as his focus was redirected to a girl bent over at the bar wearing a gray tank top and a black flowy skirt.

"And would you look at that." He said gesturing to the girl. He then pulled out a 20 dollar bill and slammed it on the table.

"Blue, cotton." Reid stated. Tyler shook his head in disagreement.

"Pink, lace." Tyler said kissing his 20 before placing it down too.

"Boys, that girl hasn't worn panties since she was 12" Pogue said also putting down a 20.

Staring at the girl, Reid built up his energy then extended it to the girl in a fast wind-like motion and needless to say, Pogue won.

"Sorry boys, maybe next time." Pogue grabbed the bills off the table and walked over towards the bar.

Tyler and Reid just brushed off their loss and called Aaron and Ryan over to their table. Of course, never backing down from a challenge, the two strutted towards the two sons of Ipswich with a cocktail smirk on their face. Tyler couldn't help but glance back at the table where Emma was sitting, only to find her no longer there. Scanning the room, he looked for where she had gone, hoping she hadn't left yet. She had moved to the bar, greeting Nicky, the pub owner, with a hug looking as though they've known each other for years. He brought her behind the bar and began showing her some pictures that he wasn't quite able to see from where he was standing.

"Baby boy! Quit drooling and help me out." Reid said as he pulled out all the pool balls out of each pocket.

A bit embarrassed that he was caught staring at Emma, he helped Reid gather the balls as Aaron and Ryan boasted about how easy it was going to be to beat them. Little did they know that Reid and Tyler have never lost a match, which was due to their unfair ability to move objects to their will without having to make physical contact. It was a skill that the four boys have slowly mastered since they received their gifts at 13 and after losing money to their bet with Pogue, the two boys were looking to replenish the cash in their pockets. They had agreed to put 50 bucks each to the winner and though money was no issue for either side, it was more the principle to having to pay up to the victor that fueled the game.

Reid started off playing a mediocre game, claiming the solid balls, while Aaron began to feel confident of his win. Expecting it to be an easy game, Aaron wanted to humiliate the boys a little longer, purposely missing his last striped ball to give the Reid a chance to come back a little before completely thrashing his hopes of claiming victory. However, the two sons of Ipswich had other plans. Reid sank two solid balls, with Tyler's "guidance" then shot Aaron a cocky grin.

"You know, it ain't too late to back out, Abbot." Reid smirked.

"You get two shots and you think you've got game? I could have made those shots with my eyes closed." Aaron retorted.

Reid proceeded to sink two more solid balls now leaving one solid, one stripe and the eight ball.

"You nervous, Aaron?" Tyler said, watching Aaron's clearly frustrated expression.

"Shut your mouth, Simms. This is between me and Blondie." Aaron said being a little aggressive.

"Why? Is it because you can't handle that you're getting your ass handed to you?" Tyler snapped.

"Your boy aint shit." Ryan stepped up for his friend. "He's got no skills, it's all just luck."

"Why don't you put your money where your mouth is?" Reid cut in.

"If you're so confident, let's up the ante." Aaron said, desperately looking for a way he can come out with a win.

"What do you have in mind?" Reid flashed a sly look to Tyler.

"Double the stakes but you have to combo this shot. Miss the combo shot and we win." Aaron proposed.

Reid pretended to look hesitant, hoping to fool them into believing they had a shot in winning the game.

"What's wrong, Garwin? You gonna pussy out?" Ryan taunted.

"You're on, ass face." Reid said a bit peeved at his comment.

Carefully taking aim at the white cue ball with the right angle, he looked to Tyler who nodded back at him. He played it of as if he was really concentrating and being careful with his shot. Slowly pulling the cue back and rapidly hitting the white ball as Tyler guided both balls into a nearby pocket, making sure the solid ball dropped before the 8 ball does. The expression on Aaron and Ryan's face said it all. Neither of them could believe that Reid was actually able to make the shot.

"Well, would you look at that?" Reid said, proudly. "Looks like you owe me a hundred bucks. Pay up, asshole."

Infuriated that Reid made the shot, Aaron couldn't handle being humiliated by the two sons of Ipswich and in the heat of the moment, he pushed Reid into Tyler. Being that Reid wasn't the type of person to back down to any one, he shoved Aaron back, causing him to knock over a glass that was on the table behind him, pulling everyone's attention to their pool table.

"Hey, take it outside." one of the waitresses said to the boys after seeing the shattered glass sprawled all over the floor.

Not wanting to be banned from the one good hangout in town, the boys walked out through the back door to settle their dispute. Reid pushed through the crowd of people now staring right at them while Tyler followed close behind him feeling a bit peeved that Aaron wasn't holding up his end of the deal. As they were walking out, he glanced over to the bar where he last saw Emma to find her staring at him with judgment. Had it not been for the thrill of an impending fight with Aaron and the boys, her icy stare might have made him feel a little guilty for getting involved. Not far from her, he also saw Caleb and Pogue making their way around the crowd to back them up, in case things came down to the wire.

* * *

Emma watched as Nicky grabbed a baseball bat stored behind the bar counter before making his way around back. She headed towards the table where her new found friends were sitting and felt a bit worried that someone might get hurt.

"Oh don't worry them. It's just guys being guys." Kate said to Sarah who looked a little concerned about the situation. "They get into it with those guys all the time. Nothing ever happens."

"I'm sure Caleb and the boys can take those three goons any day." Chase added.

"Does this happen often?" Emma asked.

"Aaron Abbot has had it in for the Sons of Ipswich long before I even knew them. Most of the time they just shoot insults at each other, sometimes they get a little rough but nothing ever serious." Kate explained.

"The Sons of Ipswich? Are they some sort of gang?" Emma questioned.

"Not quite." Kate answered with a bit of amusement in her voice. "They're supposedly decedents of the five families that settled the Ipswich colony in the sixteen hundreds."

"That's closer than my guess." said Sarah. "I thought they were a boy band." Emma couldn't help but laugh at her comment.

She was surprised that today wasn't a complete disaster. Aside from her weird PTSD kick earlier at the movies, she had to admit that she was actually enjoying their company. Kate and Sarah had been very sweet and advised Emma on where the best hangouts were, who you can trust and who's going to stab you in the back the moment they get the chance. This whole world was completely foreign to her after spending most of her life jumping from one place to another but at least now she felt as though she wasn't alone. She had new friends to guide her and for once she might actually be able to keep them.

Even the Sons seemed to have taken a friendly liking to her, but there was something about them that she just couldn't put to words. She feels so connected to them that she's terrified of getting too close yet there was an undeniable pull that she just couldn't ignore. It had a strange similarity to the bond she felt with her father and her grandfather except this was much stronger.

"Look, its Aaron." Chase said, snapping Emma out of thoughts. "They seem to be in one piece." He noted as the three boys walked past their table without a single scratch on them. Emma couldn't help but feel a little relieved.

"See, I told you it was harmless." Kate added.

Suddenly she felt a surge of energy coming from the back alley where the Sons had been. Her reflexes caused her to look in that direction as if something had startled her. Then she felt it again, except this time it came from something else. She didn't quite understand it but it almost felt as though a fight was taking place. The others took note of her reaction and looked towards the back doorway where Aaron and his friends walked through just a moment ago.

"Is something wrong?" Chase asked looking a little puzzled.

"Um, no. I just thought I heard something." Emma replied softly, trying to shake off the eerie sensation that she was feeling. The others shrugged it off too and continued their conversation but Emma felt it again. This time both seemed to be getting stronger as if it was building up to unleash with a much larger force. She felt one swing at the other but the second seemed to have deflected it somehow causing the first energy burst to dissipate. Something was definitely happening with the boys out back but she didn't quite know what to do with herself. A part of her wanted to see what was happening but she was terrified at what she might find.

A few moments later Reid walks through the door looking angry and frustrated. He had shards of broken glass on his back but by the way he moved swiftly through the crowd and out the front door it was obvious that he wasn't hurt. Tyler walked into the door way scanning the room to see if he could spot where his best friend had ran off but he was just a second too late. His expression seemed a bit tense as he walked towards their table. Emma did her best not to stare but she couldn't deny just how attractive he was with his dark brown hair and those bright blue eyes.

"Hey Kate, did you see where Reid went?" Tyler asked a bit flustered.

"He just left. He looked a bit peeved." Kate answered. "Did something happen?"

"He just got in an argument with Caleb, as always." Tyler pulled out the empty chair next to Emma and sat down.

"Boys." Kate stated as she rolled her eyes. "Oh, I don't think I've introduced you two. Emma, this is Tyler Simms. Tyler, Emma."

"We've met." Emma looked over to Tyler with a smile.

"Oh?" Kate questioned, looking a little too interested in her answer.

"Yeah, this morning. We ran into each other at the parking lot." Tyler added. Sarah and Kate shared a glance as if they knew something that the rest of their group didn't. Chase just had a stern look on his face as if he was bothered by Tyler's presence.

"I'm going to get Caleb. It's getting pretty late." Sarah said as she grabbed her jacket off her chair. Tyler began feeling his pockets for his car keys but noticed that they weren't there. He sighed as he realized that Reid had taken his car and left without him again.

"Did you lose something?" Kate said, noticing him fidgeting through all his pockets.

"Reid left with my car." Tyler replied as he shook his head, feeling irritated at his best friend.

"I'd give you a ride but I have a few errands to attend to tonight." Chase said with as much sincerity as he could fake but there was a hint of amusement in his eyes that gave him away.

"Ask Caleb to give you a ride. He's dropping Sarah off at dorms anyways." Kate said but Sarah didn't seem to be too thrilled with the idea.

"You can ride with me." Emma said after remembering how she had promised to make it up to him for always running off. His mood seemed to lighten with her words. "Plus, I owe you one. If you hadn't had found my keys this morning my caretaker would have killed me."

"Are you sure? I don't want to be a bother." He said politely.

"Yeah, and I'm still kind of figuring out the place so It'd be nice to have someone help me with directions."

"Alright. Thanks." He flashed her a sweet smile that brought a fluttering sensation to Emma's stomach.

Sarah went out to grab Caleb who seemed to be as peeved as his blonde friend who left before him but was trying really hard to push it out of his mind. Pogue followed close behind him while giving Chase an icy glare when he took note on how close he was sitting next to his girlfriend. Kate didn't seem too impressed with how sensitive Pogue was being, though she stayed quite about it wanting to avoid a scene. Besides, the boys were already pretty heated from their argument. No one wanted to make the situation more awkward than it already was.

Once everyone got their things, they headed off to the parking lot and into their own rides. Emma led Tyler to her car, a little nervous to speak after seeing the disturbed look on Caleb's face. It snapped her out of the trance that Tyler seemed to have put on her the moment he walked into the room. She knew that what happened in that alley was a lot more than just an argument. They were doing something and she felt it. It wasn't just her imagination or her PTSD. That was real and at that moment Emma couldn't tell whether she could trust him or any of the Sons. Judging by the strength of energy she sensed, she knew that they could be dangerous and she had just offered to be alone in a vehicle with one of them.


End file.
